After you come up with a fantastic concept for your mobile app, the next step is to create a rough sketch of how it will appear and function. For this, you need to create a prototype for your mobile app that will resemble the original one.
Creating a mobile app prototype (or mockup) will help you understand how your application will look in the screen-to-screen layout. A mobile app development company built a mockup by roughly sketching black and white outlining of the screens. The developers can observe these prototypes and think about adding or subtracting some elements to make the design look better.
A mobile app mockup is an efficient way to evaluate your own idea critically. Sometimes, it is the only method to highlight the issues in your application and fix them to enhance its performance. Prototyping also enables you to get opinions from others so that you can have different perspectives. Analysing them can help you improve the areas that need modifications.
However, while creating mockups, errors can occur that can ruin the entire prototyping stage. Not only will it produce wrong results, but it will also consume more time, funds and effort. This article will tell you about the five common mistakes you can make while developing mobile app prototypes. So, let’s get started!
Error 1: Leaving out screens
It is one of the most common mistakes that an app designer commits while creating a mockup. Your mobile app prototype must contain all the screens that will be available in your application. If there are missing screens, your mobile app prototype is not complete. Whether it is a confirmation screen, login screen, or any background screen, your mockup should contain all of them. Leaving any of them in the prototype can lead you to forget it in the final design. Therefore, you should take care that you do not leave any screen while preparing the mockup.
Error 2: Including elements that are not a part of the application
When asked not to forget about any screen included in your app, make sure you do not add something in your mockup that is not a part of your application. Anything that is not there in your mobile app should not be in the prototype as well. Make sure you connect all your buttons, screens and other elements logically.
Error 3: Including screens that are not logically connected
Before creating a mobile app mockup, you should mentally run through all the possible actions that your users can make. It will help you to connect all the screens logically. When you imagine how your users will act, you might need to make some changes to avoid any trouble while accessing the app. You might need to add some buttons or graphical content to link your screens to make an app more sensible.
Error 4: Creating screens with no way to move away from them
The most important thing to keep in mind is to imagine the entire tree of user behaviour. For example, if you add a button to navigate the settings screen, you must also include a button to leave the screen. It can be a back button or any other icon that retracts your users from the present screen. It helps your prototype screens from getting cluttered.
Error 5: Failing to number the pages of the screen
Numbering the screen pages will help you to keep your mockup organised and maintain a logical flow. You should ensure that all the pages are numbered in a sequence that guides the users while accessing the app. The numbering should be in the order your users would look at them. For example, the first screen of your mobile app (home page) that shows the name or login screen must be marked number 1.
In the case of intersecting screens where users can take different paths, you should assign numbers semi-arbitrarily. For instance, you can initiate with the screens most central to your mobile app, with the most buttons redirecting to other connected screens.
Wrapping Up
With these helpful tips, you can develop a mobile app prototype with ease and more accuracy. The more accurate the mockup is, the more critically you can evaluate your mobile app concept. Making an exact, screen-by-screen prototype will help you understand your own app idea in detail. A skilful mobile app development agency can assist you with creating a killer mobile app mockup and increase the chances of the success of your app.
